Diva

I can’t read your posts past the first paragraph Moosmum. But I have not said that there is no historical responsibility nor that ‘experts’ don’t see a need to address the problems. What I said is that for that breed, in the here and now, the show standard is not the driver anymore. Nor are show breeders.

I paid $900 to get a 32kg girl desexed this year, but that included bloods first - she was an older girl so I do a blood test to check things are ok. I will pay $1000 for a dental clean and X-ray on a possibly damaged tooth in a few weeks for a different dog. Up to $3k if the tooth needs work. But at least those vets send them home in good shape, they know how to anaesthetise a sighthound. I don’t think their prices are expensive for the area, not much is cheap here, but even if they were I’d pay it to not be handed back a dog that can’t walk or wake up for 10 hours. That confidence is important.

Wouldn’t matter what the show people did with French Bulldog selection now, they breed a small % of the breed - conformation, colours and coat types are way out of any influence from the show standard. Social influencers have more impact. Those non-ankc breeders could lengthen faces if they wanted, just as they breed long coats, merle etc. But they breed what people want to buy, and part of the community want that extreme look even as others seek to condemn it. (not saying show breeders shouldn’t breed for health, but they are a small part of the dog world when it comes to the commercially popular breeds).

It’s not an either one or the other choice. Pretty sure there is still both at the moment. my point was that adding more regulation won’t reduce the number of unwanted dogs because by and large the people producing those dogs don’t pay any attention to the current regulations and the authorities seem to give them a free pass. So if that is the pretended policy intent, it will fail again. it won’t reduce large scale commercial breeding either, because they are price setters and will just pass the costs of compliance on to the buyer. (But at least it’s not usually their dogs in the pounds.) All more regulation will do is further impact the small scale responsible breeder who does try to abide by all the rules, but doesn’t breed on a commercial scale. And those are the breeders keeping the rare breeds alive.

One thing I am sure of, more regulation is not the answer. I see many ads on community notice boards, and sales sites i shouldn’t name on here, of haphazardly bred, unvaccinated, not microchipped puppies that no authority ever follows up - despite the many requirements on breeding and advertising. So I don’t think the authorities actually care about the regulations except to weaponise them for political advantage - which means creating common enemies in the public imagination - people who can be labelled as breeders. Those ‘ordinary’ folk breeding the staffy and working dog crosses that fill the pounds don’t consider themselves breeders, and the authorities don’t enforce the regulations with them because there is no political advantage in it, but that’s where the bulk of welfare issues and unwanted dogs arise. Not good telly like the occasional ‘raid’ though. Or the occasional pure breeds that end up in pounds, somehow seen as more awful and blame worthy than the dozens of others around them. And while we are at it, let’s start holding owners responsible for dumping their dogs in pounds not the breeders - for choosing badly out of ignorance or to get a ‘cheapie’ for the kids, for not training their dog, not housing it safely, and then dumping it and getting another ‘better’ dog. The owners chose and then discarded it, no one else. I know we can’t do that because there are legitimate and sad reasons that cause people to give up their pets, especially in hard economic times, and we don’t want to demonise those people. But society is happy to demonise registered breeders and by some twist of illogic make it their fault, even when the dogs filling the pounds have little to do with them. I’m not saying there is never cruelty or neglect amongst registered breeders, but all the regulatory effort seems to going to a very small part of the issue.

LOL no not offended. I am still a bit gobsmacked by those 2 conversations- apart from anything else, how disrespectful is it to tell someone else how to live. And to ‘get rid of’ their pets for convenience sake. Still shaking my head.

All bills lapse when parliament is dissolved or prorogued before an election. I think in NSW a private members bill just needs a notice of motion or similar to add it back to the new parliament’s business list. Things don’t automatically get carried over from parliament to parliament, there is a bit of an approval process. The new parliament can decide not to accept it back, but then it could be reintroduced and start again. I’m more used to federal systems though so might have it wrong.

More on the same vein: Some years ago I made the mistake of sharing with my mother how much boarding my dog while I was overseas was going to cost. The next day she rang to say that she had been ‘chatting with a lady in the supermarket’ and they had got rid of their dog before they went on holiday and got a new one when they got back and why didn’t I do that and save all the money? I told her that would be despicable and morally bankrupt, and what did ‘get rid of’ mean anyway, put to sleep? Well she’s an old dog so why not was the response. Forward 15 years and my mother was in a nursing home, but I get a text out of the blue from my sister saying ‘what a shame’ it was I had the ‘burden’ of the dogs as this was the time of life I am supposed to be travelling and if I didn’t have them I could do what I was supposed to do as a retired person. I told her I didn’t live my life according to other people’s schedules, I’d travelled so much in my working life it was the last thing I wanted to do, and the dogs were the greatest source of joy in my life. Turns out she wanted to go cruising and expected me to enable that by going with her but the dogs were a problem and I shouldn’t have them. I told her I would get rid of her out of my life if needed but the dogs weren’t going anywhere. Not sure how we are even related.

I think the problem is that ID must now be verified by a government vet (for 10 day’s quarantine), not a government approved vet, and most countries are saying they aren’t set up to fulfill this new requirement from Australia. I hear that bureaucracy to bureaucracy negotiations are under way with individual countries. Glad I’m not importing these days.

Unless the dog already had irritated skin it would be unusual I think for such an immediate reaction in the bath. It would have to be a strong irritant to cause that on application. The water wasn’t just too hot for the dog was it? Or he already had inflamed skin? Malaseb isn’t usually used unless there is already a problem. I use show dog shampoos I buy online, so not much help with a general recommendation. But I have seen Melanie Newman brand and Isle of Dogs in pet stores and they should be ok. Most of them should be though, just dilute before use and make sure he rinses it off thoroughly. I dilute most shampoos at least 1:10, but the dogs haven’t got any skin issues. (And even though everyone will say you need a specific dog shampoo for the correct pH, there are many beautifully coated show dogs with perfect skin that get bathed weekly in human shampoo and do just fine!)

Yeah a few times fake puppy ads have cropped up for my breed on various online platforms, and because it’s a small breed community someone has quickly realised it’s dodgy. A quick image search and we find which breeder around the world has had their photos ‘repurposed’ for a bit of fraud.

I believe their trainer is Jess McNamara from ABC Dogs in Canberra. She is fabulous and does a lot of assistance dog work.

Read that article twice and still can’t see where the daily calculation of healthy cats and dogs killed fits any of the other numbers mentioned, I assume it’s from an entirely unrelated but not referenced source? Needs a ref really because it doesn’t stack up as written. Even mentions ‘such low adoption rates’ in one bit without giving a rate then quotes 92% for a named shelter. (And it really lost me when it said it’s ‘safer’ not to buy from a breeder as illegal puppy farms have been known to neglect dogs. News flash ‘breeder’ and ‘illegal puppy farm’ are not equivalent terms. Not to mention that plenty of rescue groups have neglected dogs. Whether the source of your dog is a breeder or a shelter, the same due diligence has to be done .)

Deleted as I just noticed how old the request for advice is. I’m sure it must be sorted by now.

Yes, there is a long history behind this. My experience is that she saved the life of one of my dogs 20 years ago after the dog was twice misdiagnosed and not properly treated by a better equipped clinic. Makes me sad to see all this yet again. Not saying she isn’t guilty as charged though.

Sad. I assume it is who I think, and many pet owners think highly of her.

I don’t think it is illegal. But it depends if you mean removal by breeders or removal by vets. Such things are regulated at state level, so you would have to refer to the welfare act of the relevant state for what is applicable to that jurisdiction. I think in some states only vets can legally remove them. But as I recall where I live it is legal for breeders to remove them up to 4 days old and after that it has to be done by a vet (I long ago decided to leave them on which is why I am a bit vague). The AVA policy is against routine removal, but that only applies to vets who are members of that association. AVA is not a regulatory or law making body and many vets are not members.

Agree many have changed for the worse. Although comparing just one undated photo of the past that may or may not be representative of the time to just one of today is very subjective- I can find hundred year old photos of my breed that look exactly like todays dogs, add better coat care and I could show them today, and others that look quite different. And weird text for some of the breeds- for example, ‘colour change’ for Salukis is a nonsense, it is just their choice of photos. And what do they mean under the Dobermann Pinscher that it’s a small dog that has gotten even smaller? Sounds like they have the different Pinscher breeds confused. I think what I find most fascinating is breeds that are both better in some aspects and worse in others- that modern Dachshund is a much sounder looking dog, the front leg deformities and dippy topline in the old photo make my own back hurt. But overall the shorter legs are not a trend that you’d want to go on.

If they are your friend I’d just ask for the DM test results on the parents of your dog. It’s good to be able to rule something out and this sounds easily done- DM testing was well and truly around in 2012. Anomalies may occur but that doesn’t make using best available science not useful, especially when the test is cheap, easy and readily available. But different strokes and all that, good luck.

Can’t help with a Toller familiar vet but it’s good you have a neuro appt lined up. Lots of conditions have similar symptoms in the early stages, I have been told you can only be absolutely certain that is what it was by post-mortem. If I suspected it in a dog I had I would do the cheek swab for the SOD1 mutation (I do all mine anyway and know they are clear as I breed once in a blue moon). Of course at this time of year labs are closing for Christmas too so it may take a while. Orivet Australia have the test for around $70 but many other labs do too. If it came back as not at risk (either clear or carrier) I would look for other causes of the symptoms. If it comes back at risk it is good info for the vets and I would be telling the dog’s breeder also, if you know who they are. Actually contacting the dog’s breeder is a good idea even without the test result, i hope they aren’t one of the breeders you contacted who hasn’t responded. If they are testing now they should be able to tell you the prevalence in their lines, and they should be testing if they are still breeding. But I of course that assumes they are known.

I think he got off very lightly. If you know your dogs are highly people aggressive they should never be behind an unlocked gate. Dogs that are willing to maul, not just a single bite but full on maul, someone for coming into a yard that isn’t even theirs are pretty full-on aggressive. I don’t think there is any way an owner wouldn’t know their character. That’s negligence not just an ‘accident’.

I had a Borzoi girl have a major op on a front leg and end up with a large shaved patch on her back. Apparently it was because of the type of pain relief used. It easily took 12 months to grow back. Like you I had become quite worried but it did return eventually.

I aim to wash the outer covers weekly, although more like fortnightly in our recent wet weather, and use a laundry sanitiser product instead of fabric softener. I use my own machine and run a drum clean cycle afterwards. On fine days I put the inners out to air in the sun when I wash the covers. The inners are way too big for a domestic washing machine. I replace the whole lot once or twice a year, usually buying on special (half price at petbarn recently) or at Costco or TK Maxx. Some other discount style stores have cheaper beds too, but too small for my guys. I agree about the waste, but haven’t found a solution. The outside beds are trampoline style and last for years but they like the cushion type inside.

A contract meter reader. So awful.

One of my young Borzoi boys did this for a while. At 46 kilos and with unbridled joy he could send the door flying. I taught him a back up cue so he has to be 2m back from the door and wait there until I open it and tell him he can go. Basically I taught the back up and wait separately them put them together as a sequence. If he creeps forward I step away from the door until he backs up again. If he does ever barge through I call him straight back and we try it again. He is very smart and worked it out quickly. But only with me, anyone who lets him barge he still does it with.